HH/Propane in winter...

[ellyloo]

What are some of the things you need to be aware of when you're going to be torching through the winter? I'm going to be torching on a hot head in the garage. I will be keeping the propane outside, plus making sure there's plenty of fresh air.

I'm going to brave the chill and get a little space heater for my feet and keep torching in the winter. It's just too dang expensive to rent time at a torch.

What do I need to know?

PLUS: Will a kiln be damaged in the cold? I should probably sit with a bucket of vermiculite, and keep the kiln inside, right? Then just batch anneal later?

PLUS: I've only been working on Nortel Minors. Does anyone have pics of minor flames compared to HH flames? Is the "anatomy" much different?

[bhhco]

You are right, you should keep the propane outside. I need to restate that before I tell you that the cold outside will likely lower the propane tank pressure to the point that the one-gas torch will not operate - depending on how cold it gets where you live.

A one-gas torch requires a minimum of 60 psi to properly operate (a two-gas torch operates at a much lower pressure: 1/4 psi to 10 psi). At 40 F the propane tank pressure will have dropped to around 65 psig, and at 30 F it will be about 53 psig -- too low to satisfactorily operate the one-gas torch. At 20 F it will not light.

There is sufficient propane tank pressure to operate a two-gas torch all the way down to -30 F. A two-gas torch setup, including an oxycon, can be put together for less than $380 (torch, fuel hose/regulator, and oxycon). Santa?

You are also right about good ventilation - and that holds trure regardless of the torch used.

As far as flame anatomy... I'd compare the two-gas to a one-gas, like a black belt to a sumo wrestler. Both get'er'dun... in very much different ways.

Me

[ellyloo]

Thank you for your post!

Hm. Well, my main reason for the one gas (and i'm sure I'm not unique) is that I don' thave a massive amount of money to shell out at this point.
I can rent time on a minor, but that eats up good money, and isn't convenient. I also want to buy a kiln, and once I have that, I can swap things out as I get the money, and even do non torching jewelry projects.

I didn't think Oxycons were that inexpensive!

I'll just have to take my chances and torch on warmer days. (it MAY get cold, it MAY be mild...) I doubt I'd like to be out there on the really cold days anyhow. And I may jus thave to wait. The portability of a hot head is very attractive.

Does anyone else have anything to add?

[Emily]

Are you planning to get a bulk tank of MAPP gas for the HotHead or use the one pound cylinders? From what I've heard, most places it's legal to keep two of the one pound cylinders inside, so you can have a couple at garage temperature at any given time. The problem is that the little cylinders go fast and are expensive. They also tend to get cold while you're using them and act like they're empty even when they're not. The bottom of the tank will get frosty. Back in my (brief, thank heaven) HotHead days, I'd have a lap full of snow. Once the cylinder warms up, you'll find that there's actually gas left in it, but the less is in it to start with, the sooner it will ice up again. I think some people have wrapped things around the cylinders to insulate them (you'd have to find something fireproof), and I think I heard about someone keeping the bottom in a pan of warm water. It's a PITA, anyway. I used to have at least two of the little tanks available at one session, and switch back and forth between beads. You'll need a hot pad or glove handy to hold the torch head when you switch tanks. Bulk tanks of MAPP gas work out to be much cheaper and don't have the icing up problem, but you would have to work out some way to have the tank live outside. The temperature problem with the larger tanks is a new one on me, because I never worked with a bulk tank when I had a HotHead.

If you're planning on a bulk tank, you may want to look into the availability of MAPP gas (MAPP is a brand name of brazing fuel) in your area. Once in a while, people report being unable to obtain it in bulk (or at least not in what we think of as "bulk." Industrial quantities might be a different story.)

HotHeads are noisy and they're slow, but that doesn't mean you can't make beautiful beads on them.

The flame on a HotHead is big and yellow. There's not a lot you can do to adjust it. There's a valve to open and close the gas supply, so you can adjust how much gas it's getting. People who wanted to do reduction effects have rigged up things to cover up some of the air intakes -- I'm not sure how, and I'm not sure how successfully. The flame on a HotHead tends to be a little reducing, particularly if you get too close to the torch head, which is something I always want to do anyway.

[ellyloo]

Thank you!
I noticed the place I rented time from th eother day had a little baby propane tank that they hooked me up to. I'd imagine they're pricier for the amount you get.

Hm. well. Perhaps I"ll j ust wait til spring. I'll spend the winter setting things up just right. :)

PLUS up at the family cottage we have a little garden shed with a window and door that is PERFECT, and they've given me permission to make it my own!! No electricity, (If I neeeeed it, I'm sure I could run a cable or buy a little generator for a lamp.) but I can set it up the way I want to, and torch in the daylight at least. I'm really excited about that!

[MitzyGail]

One of the things I found out yesterday about weather and the hothead --
I am torching outside right now (of course it is summer here) and when the wind blows and it's just the least little bit chilly, it can affect your beads and your flame - ALOT.
When my mother said, That's ugly, stop it or a cold wind will come along and freeze it that way, I didn't know she was talking about my beads!!!